Odi et Amo has some gorgeous nooks perfect for a cozy autumn read.

Get in the holiday spirit with a round-up of ghost stories at CasaSugar.

For all our incredible DIY readers, here’s a little power tool love from Charles & Hudson.

Over at SwissMiss, a book shelf takes on a brand new meaning with the Lars Nilsson’s Bookrest.

Have an old DV case lying around? Check out LikeCool to learn how it works as an iPhone stand.

SmittenKitchen calls her chocolate pudding old school. I call it delicious.

I take my breakfast very seriously. My favorite cereal, the genius that is Count Chocula, is hard to find. Whenever I come across it, I usually buy a dozen boxes to ration out slowly until my stock is depleted. My perfect morning would consist of warm socks, an easy Sudoku, and a big bowl of Count Chocula served in this sweet dish. The Spilt Milk bowl from Fred Flare looks like a great piece of pop art or something that came straight out of Tiny Toons! It’s adorable, microwaveable, dishwasher safe, and only $16. –Katie D.

There are still a few more barrrrrbeques left on the horizon, and what better way to celebrate than with a few of your favorite buccaneers and a set of swashbuckling skewers? These swords, $25 each from Think Geek, are utensils that double as dueling weapons! Grab a few eye patches, a parrot, and the skull and bones ice cube tray to make a theme party out of your next BBQ. Fair warning, though: anyone who overcooks my hot dog has to walk the plank. –Katie D.

How do you carve your pumpkins for Halloween? From simple and scary to elaborate and goofy, there seem to be as many different answers as there are Nightmare on Elm Street sequels. I walk (or zombie shuffle, if you will) the traditional path of a carved, scary jack-o-lantern face. My new husband, on the other hand, spends hours delicately removing the outermost layers of pumpkin skin to create an intricate spooky, glowing graveyard scene (and yet, somehow, we make it work). So how about it, Ghouls and Goblins: is it an art form in your house? Do you attempt portraits ? Any disastrous experiments that we should know about? –Katie D.

Photo via ExtremePumpkins.com

Babyccino is the best of both worlds: fun and simple tips on living with kids from women in the cosmopolitan meccas of London, Amsterdam, Rome, and Milan — plus contributors from New York City, DC, and more. Their occasional Theme Weeks are full of tips from how to whip up a quick croque monsieur to fun crafts that keep your child happy and occupied. They have DIYs too, of course — like this cute way to make your own bibs from recycled kitchen towels, part of the recent “Simple Living” Theme Week. The how-to is after the jump. Thanks, Babyccino! (more…)

The folks at Innermost UK have created a Ghost Clock that more gorgeous than spooky. The ornate design of a traditional carriage clock gets a streamlined makeover thanks to trompe l’oeil and a glass body — could be the perfect perch for Poe’s raven. For $150, it’s a bigger investment than a Halloween decoration (especially alongside your Dollar Store bag of spider webs) but this is one ghost that you’ll want to leave on your mantle year ’round. –Katie D.

I’ll try anything once, and when it comes to cake, you don’t have to ask me twice. So when my culinary curiosity lead me to a recipe for a five-minute cake that is cooked in a mug, I was instantly dedicated to road-testing any version available that would lead me through the dark woods of my cynicism to believing that something tasty could in fact be made in a mug in five minutes. Apparently WebMD’s Elaine Magee RD, MPH was on a similarly holy mission, but she took it a step further by making the cake recipe healthier. And wouldn’t you know it? Her 5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake Makeover was the tastiest of the few I tried! I also experimented with meatloaf and omelets in a mug — details after the jump! –Sarah C. Click the link for the mug cake recipe and more mug love! (more…)

TSP Spices wants to solve the issue of wasted spices and seasonings by packaging their certified organic spices in one-teaspoon packs that stay fresh longer. To someone who just realized that we have a huge bottle of spice that is a year and a half past its use-by date (I hate even admitting that) this seems like a simple but great idea. TSP Spices has a higher price point than grocery-store spices and thus might be a better gift option, but sister company Smart Spice operates with the same packaging idea at a more economical price point. The spices at TSP Spices inlude gift sets and themed lines (i.e. Green Basics, Sweet Basics, Spice Basics, Set for the Holidays) and individual spices, while the 16 varieties of Smart Spice are sold individually. –Sarah C.

This back-to-basics nutcracker — aptly named Cracking Stuff — is just the type of kitchen tool I love. I’m pretty sure any craft-minded individual with a scroll saw could make their own version of the two-piece nutcracker — it’s simply a beach wood block with a hole cut out of the center and a steel clamp. I don’t often by my nuts in the shell, but for those of you lucky enough to have a walnut or pecan tree in your backyard, this may be your new best friend. Pick one up for around $18 at Spunique. —Erica P.

If you’re visiting Paris, why not go all out and indulge in your fantasy of living in a fabulously chic apartment right on the Seine, a whitewashed attic nook just steps from the Bon Marche, even an opulent mansion near Hotel des Invalides? Yes, I’m already dreaming — a friend recently stayed in this apartment found through Vingt Paris, and all I can say is, je l’aime. I mean, look at that place! Can you really do better at a hotel? Short- and long-term rentals are available at the Vingt Paris site, where I suspect the photos will wow you as they did me. And if you really fall in love with Paris, they sell apartments, too. –Mary T.